Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's event dashes farmer's dreams

Farmers along the Yamuna have claimed that Sri Sri's Art of Living Foundation forcibly acquired land from them for an event at a low compensation.

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Baishali Adak

New Delhi

March 7, 2016

UPDATED: March 7, 2016 11:14 IST

Farmers allege that their agricultural land was seized by the Art of Living foundation at a meagre price for the 3-day World Cultural Festival.

This comes not from areas like Beed or Vidarbha where distressed farmers commit suicide every year, but the National Capital Region itself. While a mega-show has been planned for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living (AOL) Foundation event in farmland along the Yamuna, farmers claim the "compensation" does not even cover their sowing costs.

"This is how criminals are born! When the poor is trampled upon like this, he either kills himself or takes up arms," Paan Singh told Mail Today in anguish. Singh claimed his nine bigha of land (3.6 acres) has been acquired forcibly by AOL.

"In return, they put `26,000 in my pocket. The money I put into raising my crops was Rs. 2.25 lakh, most of it with karza (loan)," he states. "My land has been bulldozed. I don't know how I'll manage now," Singh rued.

Paan Singh's is among at least 200 farmer families affected by Art of Living's 'World Culture Festival,' the venue for which is the Yamuna floodplain. An estimated 100 acre of land under agriculture - wheat, vegetables and flowers - has been seized on the western side of the river. This includes villages Chilla, Nangli and Sarai Kale Khan along the DND flyover, and some UP Canal and DDA (Delhi Development Authority) property on the Noida Road side.

A gigantic stage, complete with golden 'temple-style' domes, has come up at hopping distance from the DND. White portable cabins, huts and toilets are visible elsewhere, besides two pontoon bridges created on the river itself.

Illegal occupants

Vinay Sukhija, an AOL teacher, told Mail Today: "Even one inch of land with crops has not been touched. Only fallow land has been used. These farmers are anyway illegal occupants on Yamuna bank. We gave them `4,000 per bigha on humanitarian grounds; despite that we are having to face so much jhagda and fasad (fights)."

A senior DDA official, however, said on condition of anonymity: "We granted AOL only 24 hectares (60 acre) of vacant land. Instead, they have spread out on 150-200 acres, including agricultural land on all sides. A farmer even approached us with a High Court stay on eviction when threatened by AOL people. We immediately shot off a letter to AOL office warning them of court contempt. They have rampaged everything."

Master Baljeet Singh, General Secretary, Delhi Peasant Cooperative Multipurpose Society, though, said this is nothing new: "We have been tilling this land since 1950. It was granted to us when the country was under acute crisis, under the 'Grow More Food' campaign. It is true we earn our bread from this but we have been chowkidaars (security guards) of Yamuna over these decades. We are harassed and forced out on the pretext of Khel Gaon, Akshardham, DTC Bus Depot, and now this."

Farmer Dharam Singh said: "It all began a week back. Four men claiming to be from AOL came and said they need to build access roads to their event venue. I said alright. Then they brought JCB machines and turned my standing vegetable crops - kakri, kheera, torai, bengan, gobhi and pyaaz - into pulp. When we protested, they threatened us with police action. Then they gave me `14,000 for my four bigha of crops. What do I say? I bought gobhi (cauliflower) seeds alone for `26,000."

His neighbour Jagan Lal pointed out that the land may have been taken for only three days - March 11 to 13, the duration of 'World Culture Festival - but it is likely to be unproductive for at least a year now. "The way they have compacted the land with rollers, it will take us several months to soften it for cultivation. That is two harvesting seasons. Zameen -asman ek karna padega."

"Further, if they lay bricks over it or concretise it for car parking, it will be useless," he says.

Elong Shri, a 62-year-old woman farmer, said, "Gale se ek niwala nahi utra hai jis din se fasal ujad ke gaye hain (I haven't had a morsel since my crops were razed). We are small farmers. The real owners of these farmlands have sublet it to us and live elsewhere. We have to pay them rent too. I don't know from where I will arrange that."